JUST A THOUGHT:
A minister dies and is waiting in line at the Pearly Gates. Ahead of him is a guy who’s dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket and jeans. Saint Peter addresses this guy,, ‘ Who are you , so that I may know whether or not to admit you to the Kingdom of Heaven?’
The guy replies, “I’m Joe Cohen, taxi driver of Noo Yawk City.”
St. Peter consults his list. He smiles and says to the taxi driver, ‘Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’
The taxi driver goes into Heaven with his robe and staff and it’s the minister’s turn. He stands erect and booms out, ‘ I am Joseph Snow, pastor of Calvary Church for the last forty-three years.’
Saint Peter consults his list. He says to the minister, ‘Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’
‘Just a minute,’ says the minister. ‘That man was a taxi driver, and he gets a silken robe and golden staff. How can this be?’
‘Up here, we work by results,” says Saint Peter. “While you preached, people slept; while he drove, people prayed.”
How are your results??????

An Easter Story:
“It’s truly amazing what a girl will do for love. My wife, Jean, and I lived next door to each other for ten years before we were married. My sophomore interest in high school biology had sparked a live caterpillar collection. Their home was a shoe box, covered with screen wire. When I went on vacation, Jean fed them faithfully with leaves from her willow tree. She hated it.
Finally the caterpillars stopped their incessant crawling and chewing, attached their tails firmly to a stick and lay still, sheathed with a shiny leather-like case. For weeks they seemed to be dead, unmoving in their tiny gray wrappings. I removed the screen and waited.
One by one, the gray cases began to twist and turn violently, and suddenly split open. A beautiful butterfly emerged. It stood for hours gently moving its wings, pumping fluids into them to extend them fully. Then the butterfly soared gracefully away on the breezes of summer, leaving nothing behind but a broken chrysalis to indicate its former bondage.
The chrysalis and butterfly suggest the empty graveclothes of our risen Lord. When Peter and John heard the news that the Lord’s body was gone from the garden tomb, they ran all the way from their lodging. Peter entered the tomb and “he saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen” (John 20:6-7, NIV). The graveclothes once wrapped continuously around the body now lay collapsed, mute testimony that the corpse they had once shrouded had now emerged in life.
The bondage of death is broken. Christ is risen! We can face tomorrow with the assurance that Jesus is in fact alive to help us, to guide us, to give us hope for the future. And since He is living, our problems are not insolvable. The broken chrysalis of His graveclothes proclaims that Christ is Victor even over death. Because He lives, nothing is impossible.” Charlie

The season Lent is meant to be a time when we prepare ourselves, through prayer and self sacrifice, for the coming of Holy Week and the Celebration of Easter. Many people take this very serious and offer themselves to this Holy work. For some of us this kind of works out like our New Years resolutions, we have good intentions, but this may be short lived. I found a story that kind of follows this line of thought.
“A comical, but illustrative, story shows us how adept we are at rationalizing our actions: A very overweight man decided that it was time to shed a few pounds. He went on a new diet and took it seriously. He even changed his usual driving route to the office in order to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however, he arrived at the office carrying a large, sugar-coated coffee cake. His office mates roundly chided him, but he only smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said, “What could I do? This is a very special cake. This morning, out of my forced habit, I accidentally drove by my favorite bakery. There in the window were trays of the most delicious goodies. I felt that it was no accident that I happened to pass by, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you really want me to have one of these delicious coffee cakes, let me find a parking place in front of the bakery.’ Sure enough, on the ninth trip around the block, there it was!” Temptation is strong, but we must be stronger. We should not tempt fate and we should not rationalize our actions.”
How ever we chose to prepare ourselves for the coming of Holy Week and Easter, let us truly set our minds and hearts to find a new the great act of love that God opens for us the death and resurrection of His precious Son. Let us prepare ourselves to truly shout with all our hearts ’HE IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!

The story is told: ‘A lady went to her Pastor and said “Pastor, I won’t be going to your church anymore.” The Pastor responded “But why?” The lady said “Ah! I saw a woman gossiping about another member; a man that is a hypocrite; the worship team living wrong; people looking at their phone during service; among so many other things wrong in your church.”
The Pastor replied “OK. But before you go, do me a favor: take a full glass of water and walk around the church three times without spilling a drop on the ground. Afterwards, leave the church if you desire.” The lady thought: too easy! She walked three times around the church as the Pastor had asked. When she finished she told the Pastor she was ready to leave.
The Pastor said, “Before you leave I want to ask you one more question. When you were walking around the church, did you see anyone gossiping?” The lady replied “No.” “Did you see any hypocrites?” The lady said “No.” “Anyone looking at their phone?” “No.” “You know why?” “No.”
“You were focused on the glass, to make sure you didn’t stumble and spill any water. It’s the same with our life. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we don’t have time to see the mistakes of others. We will reach out a helping hand to them and concentrate on our own walk with the Lord.” Just a thought…
Charlie

For all the gardeners and farmers out there, I found this little tidbit.
“There was once a farmer who went to town to purchase seeds for his farm. As he was returning home, one of the squash seeds he had purchased fell from his pocket on the ground. It happened that within a few feet was another seed of a different type. The place where the two seeds lay was rather fertile, and miraculously they took root.
After about a week the squash seed showed signs of growth. The second seed showed none. After two weeks the squash began to sprout leaves. The second seed showed none. After seven weeks the squash began to show fruit. The second seed still showed no progress.
Four more weeks came and went. The squash plant reached the end of its life bearing much fruit in that time, but the other seed finally began to slow grow. Many years later the squash was all but forgotten, but the other tiny seed, an acorn, had grown into a mighty oak tree.
Many people want their faith to be like the squash. They want to experience it all right now….rather than be rooted for life.”
Charlie

A special thought for Mother’s Day: Erma Bombeck’s “Tribute to Her Mom”.
“When the good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of overtime when the angel appeared and said, “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.” And the Lord said, “have you read the specs on this order? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; have 180 moveable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that disappears when she stands up; a kiss that cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair; and six pairs of hands.”
The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pairs of hands….no way!”. “It’s not the hands that are causing me problems,” said the Lord. “It’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have.” “That’s on the standard model?” asked the angel. The Lord nodded. “One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, ‘What are you kids doing in there?’ when she already knows; another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t but what she has to know, and of course, the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and says ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word….
“I can’t quit now…..Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick, can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger, and get a nine-year-old to stand under a shower.” The angel circled the model of the mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed. “but tough”, said the Lord excitedly. “You cannot imagine what this mother can do or endure.” “Can it think?” “Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromised and dream”, said the Creator.
Finally the angel bent over and ran her finger across the check. “There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told you were trying to put too much into this model.
“It’s not a leak,” said the Lord. “It’s a tear.” What’s it for?” It’s for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride.” “You’re a genius,” said the angel.
The Lord looked somber, “I didn’t put it there.”

“THIRSTY ON THE CROSS”
By Max Lucado
“Jesus’ final act on earth was intended to win your trust. This is the final act of Jesus’s life. In the concluding measure of his earthly composition, we hear the sounds of a thirsty man. And through his thirst-through a sponge and a jar of cheap wine-he leaves a final appeal. “You can trust me.”
Jesus. Lips cracked and mouth of cotton. Throat so dry he couldn’t swallow, and voice so hoarse he could scarcely speak. He is thirsty. To find the last time moisture touched these lips you need to rewind a dozen hours to the meal in the upper room. Since tasting that cup of wine, Jesus has been beaten, spat upon, bruised, and cut. He has been a cross-carrier and sin-bearer, and no liquid has salved his throat. He is thirsty.
Why doesn’t he do something about it? Couldn’t he? Did he not cause jugs of water to be jugs of wine? Did he not make a wall out of the Jordan River and two walls out of the Red Sea? Didn’t he, with one word, banish the rain and calm the waves? Doesn’t Scripture say that he “turned the desert into pools” (PSALM 107:35 NIV) and “the hard rock into springs” (PSALM 114:8 NIV)?
Did God not say, “I will pour water on him who is thirsty” (ISAIAH 44:3 NKJV)?
If so, why does Jesus endure thirst? While we are asking this question, add a few more. Why did he grow weary in Samaria (John 4:6) disturbed in Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and angry in the Temple (John 2:15)? Why was he sleepy in the boat on the Sea of Galilee (Mark4:38), sad at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35), and hungry in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2)?
Why? And why did he grow thirsty on the cross? He didn’t have to suffer thirst. At least, not to the level he did. Six hours earlier he’d been offered drink, but he refused it.
They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “The Place of the Skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. (Mark 15:22-24 NIV, mine).
Before the nail was pounded, a drink was offered. Mark says the wine was mixed with myrrh. Matthew described it was wine with gall. Both myrrh and gall contain sedative properties that numb the senses. But Jesus refused them. He refused to be stupefied by the drugs, opting instead to feel the full force of his suffering.
Why? Why did he endure all these feelings? Because he knew you would feel them too. He knew you would be weary, disturbed and angry. He knew you’d be sleepy, grief-stricken and hungry. He knew you’d face pain. If not the pain of the body, the pain of the soul…pain too sharp for any drug. He knew you’d face thirst. If not a thirst for water, at least a thirst for truth, and the truth we glean from the image of a thirsty Christ is-he understands. And because he understands, we can come to him.”
As we move closer to the Good Friday event and the wonder of Easter, remember it was all done for us!
Charlie

PASTOR’S NOTE
There was a young boy living in Paris at the end of World War II. He had been orphaned by the atrocities committed within his city by the occupying German forces. He scrounged around the ruined city as best as he could to find food, clothes and shelter. But everyone was living in desperate times, and he found that people either ignored him or could find nothing to give him. Even the soldiers who had freed Paris from the German army seemed to note care about his situation.
He had heard of the Priest in the church, long before war had broken out, talk about God and Jesus and living the Christian life. But with the hell on earth that the war had brought, he had since lost hope of any sense of Heaven. One cold morning, he was wandering down the street, staring into the windows of shops and cafes. He stopped outside the window of a small bakery. The smell of the fresh bread made his stomach ache with pain. He was so held by the smell and sights of the bakery, he didn’t notice the American soldier who had stopped in the street and had begun watching him with interest. The boy hardly noticed the G.I. as he walked past him and into the store. He did, however, notice the large bag the baker was filling for the G.I. with rolls, breads, pastries and other foods. And the boy could hardly breathe when the soldier exited the shop, knelt down and handed him the bag. The boy look at the G.I. with astonishment and gratefulness. Finally, he look at the soldier and asked him the question that was running through his mind: “Mister, are you Jesus?”
I think we should reflect and remember that God has called us to be the representation of Jesus in our day and age. We are called to be the hands and feet of our Lord. I guess that this then begs the question; ‘how well do we do this?’ I wonder as we go about our business day by day would anyone ask of us: “Are you Jesus?”
Charlie

Did you ever have anyone come along and change your plans. I mean you are ready to head out the door, and the phone rings, and there is a need or a problem, and boom your plans change.

Well, if you want to think about changing plans, think about Mary and Joseph. They are engaged, thinking about getting married and starting a normal life and a normal family and along comes an Angel. Boy, did their plans change. Now, with the announcement of the Angel, Mary is already pregnant, and it is not Joseph’s child. It’s God’s. They aren’t married, and in those days pregnancy out of wedlock could cost you your life. I don’t think we can imagine how scared Mary and Joseph must have been. But please notice that it all worked out, and it all worked out not just for the best, but for the greatest. Why? Because the plan in motion was God’s plan. A plan to bring salvation to the world through that little baby that Mary was carrying. A plan to bring forgiveness to a broken and hopeless world. Yes, God changed their plans, but what wondrous events they were able to witness. To see God’s hand at work in the world, and to see it first hand! That may have been a change of plans, but it turned out to be quite a blessing for Mary, Joseph, you, me and the whole world.

If God was going to mess up someone’s plans, I am not sure He could have done it for any greater wonder or in any greater way. My hope and my prayer is that maybe we let God mess up our plans a little bit. That we allow him to remind us of what He did for us that very first Christmas, that amid all of the shopping, eating and gatherings, that God will warm our hearts and remind us of His son that was born to give us salvation, and that we adjust our plans to celebrate His gift and His wonder at Christmas. Maybe we will see that it is all right for God to mess up our plans.

PASTOR’S NOTE
“The brand new pastor and his wife were assigned to their first church in Brooklyn and were to reopen it. They arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw the church, it was run down and needed a lot of work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.

They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On December 19, a terrible driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. After the rain stopped, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit. He cleaned up the mess on the floor and decided to postpone the Christmas Eve service.

On the way home, he noticed that a local business was having a garage sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to church.

By that time, it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus which would arrive 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder and hung the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area perfectly.

Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. “Pastor,” she asked, “where did you get that tablecloth?” The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were living in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week but he was captured, sent to prison and she never saw her husband or her home again. The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth but she told him to keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, which was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.

On Christmas Eve, the church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stared. The pastor wondered why he wasn’t leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall. The pastor explained and then the man said it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and wondered how there could be two tablecloths so much alike.

He told the pastor when the Nazis came he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again. The pastor then asked if he would allow him to take the man for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island, to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman’s apartment, knocked on the door and that day, he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine. as this husband and wife embraced each other of the first time 35 years.

Just like on that first Christmas, so long ago, God shows up in unexpected ways!
Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!! Charlie